Golf club holder

ABSTRACT

A golf club holder is adapted to be secured to or made a part of a golf bag and to carry a plurality of side-opening receptacles which face the interior of the bag and into which the heads of selected golf clubs can be inserted by means of a substantially lateral movement in the opposite direction. The receptacles are maintained in appropriate operative position by means of rods which extend up from a support and which are preferably adjustably vertically positionable, thereby to adapt individual receptacles to receive the heads of different specific golf clubs.

United States Patent Distasio 51 June 6,1972

[ GOLF CLUB HOLDER Joseph R. Distsio, 710 Shore Road, Spring Lake Heights, NJ. 07762 22 Filed: Feb. 19, 1971 211 Appl.No.: 116,974

[72] Inventor:

[52] US. Cl ..lS/l04.92, ISO/1.5

[51] Int. C1. ..A63b 57/00 [58] FieldofSearch... ...273/162, 77; 150/15; 211/60 G; 15/104.92, 104.93, 104.94, 268, 105,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,128,546 8/1938 Venmore ..150/1.5 R

3,503,518 3/1970 Black ISO/1.5 R X 2,089,057 8/1937 Hagerling. .....401/196 X 3,406,419 10/1968 Young 1 5/ 104.94

Primary Examiner-Leon G. Machlin Anomey-James & Franklin [57] ABSTRACT A golf club holder is adapted to be secured to or made a part of a golf bag and to carry a plurality of side-opening receptacles which face the interior of the bag and into which the heads of selected golf clubs can be inserted by means of a substantially lateral movement in the opposite direction. The receptacles are maintained in appropriate operative position by means of rods which extend up from a support and which are preferably adjustably vertically positionable, thereby to adapt individual receptacles to receive the heads of different specific golf clubs.

20 Claims, 4'Drawing Figures GOLF CLUB HOLDER The present invention relates to a holder or protector for golf club heads.

The heads of golf clubs, and particularly of woods as distinguished from irons, often need protection from the elements and from impact against other club heads. In addition, quick and positive identification of particular clubs is often desired during the playing of golf. Different clubs in a series of clubs, such as Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 4 woods, do not differ materially one from the other in appearance, and it is sometimes difficult to distinguish between them, particularly if they are carried in the golf bag in a random manner. To hit the ball with a No. 2 wood, for example, where a No. 4 wood is wanted will result in driving the ball farther than desired and this may well be very costly in a golf match as when, for example, the ball is driven into a lake or the rough beyond the green.

Accordingly, it has become common to provide individual protective covers for golf clubs and particularly those of the wood variety. These covers ordinarily carry an indication of the particular club which is to be covered thereby, that indication usually being in the form of the appropriate number corresponding to the type number of the club. Typically these covers comprise cloth envelopes which are adapted to be slipped over the head of the club in question and then secured in position. Those envelopes or mittens," as they are sometimes called, are often connected to one another by some filament, typically of wool or leather, so that the set of mittens comprises a unit. Suchdevices do protect the club heads on which they are placed, but apart from that they have several serious defects. In the first place, they do not locate or position the individual clubs within the golf bag; thus tangling of the clubs in the bag is not prevented, and the player must still rummage through the bag to find the club he wants. In the second place, while the mitten" purportedly identifies the club which it protects, the accuracy of that identification is only as good as the care with which the player has exercised in placing the mitten in position. A preoccupied player, one concentrating on his game or on the next shot, may well make a mistake in this regard. If he puts a 4" mitten on a "2 wood by mistake, when he is next looking for a 2" wood he will actually be selecting a 4" wood. In the third place, a significant amount of manual manipulation is required in order to place such mittens securely on the club heads or remove them from the club head, and this is a source of irritation and distraction when, as is often the case, the player is under pressure. Anything which tends to improve the players concentration and to eliminate possible distractions represents a significant development in connection with the game of golf. It is important to the player that clubs be readily accessible, that they be capable of being removed from the bag and placed back in the bag with a minimum amount of manipulation and trouble, that the heads of clubs, and particularly woods, be protected against damage and deterioration, and that the section of the particular club which a golfer wants at a particular time can be effected reliably and with only a minimal possibility of mistake.

It is the prime object of the present invention to devise a unit for holding and protecting the heads of golf clubs which permits the clubs to be inserted thereinto and removed therefrom with as little trouble and manipulation as possible.

It is another object of the present invention to provide such a club holder which will accurately identify the clubs received in the various parts thereof, so that the desired club will always be selected.

It is yet another object of the present invention to devise a club holder which will locate the individual clubs within a golf bag in predetermined separated locations.

It is a further object of the present invention to devise a club holder which can be easily and inexpensively manufactured, which is light in weight, and which is adaptable for use with different sets of clubs. I

It is still another object of the present invention to devise a club holder which may either be manufactured as a part of a golf bag or manufactured as an accessory capable of being attached to pre-existing golf bags.

To the accomplishment of the above, the golf club of my invention comprises a support, adapted to be made a part of or secured to a golf bag, from which a plurality of rod-like members extend upwardly, preferably to different heights. Each of those members carries an open bottomed receptacle adapted to receive a golf club head and having a side opening, the receptacles being so oriented on the upstanding members that their side openings all face the interior of the golf bag. The receptacles are preferably formed of some resilient material, at least in operative relation to the wall portions thereof which flank the side openings, so that a golf club head can be inserted into the receptacle merely by being pushed thereinto via the side opening and may beremoved from the receptacle merely by being pulled out therefrom via the side opening, that side opening spreading to permit passage of the club head therethrough and then snapping back to normal position. The shaft of the club, when the club head is in the receptacle, will extend down through the open bottom of that receptacle. The

individual receptacles are preferably positioned at different heights so as to correspond to the different heights of a group of clubs such as woods. The No. 1 wood is the tallest, the No. 2 is somewhat shorter, the No. 3 is somewhat shorter still, and so on. By reason of this arrangement when the clubs are received shaft-down in the golf bag a given club head will fit only into that receptacle which is properly vertically positioned with respect to that club head. Thus the No. 1 wood will not go into the No. 3 receptacle because the latter would be too low, and the No. 3 wood would not go into the No. l receptacle because that would be too high. Since, therefore, only the proper club can fit into the particular receptacle, if the player takes a club from a given receptacle, the receptacle being appropriately identified, he will be sure that he is taking the very club that he wants.

Insertion and removal of the clubsis accomplished merely by a lateral movement of the head through the side opening of the receptacle, and after the club is thus removed from its receptacle it can then be lifted from the bag in conventional fashion, and in essentially the same continuous movement as is employed to remove it from the receptacle. Likewise the club can be put into the bag and into its appropriate receptacle by a single continuous movement in the opposite direction. The interior of the receptacle, and particularly that portion thereof adjacent the side opening adapted to rub against the outer surface of the club head as the latter is removed from or inserted into the receptacle, may be provided with a wax content (the term wax" being here used generically to include all substances which, when applied to the club head surfaces, tend to preserve them or enhance their appearance), thereby to apply a protective or appearance-improving coating to the club heads either when they are in the receptacle or when they are being moved relative to the receptacle or both.

To the accomplishment of the above, and to such other objects as may hereinafter appear, the present invention relates to the construction and arrangement of a golf club holder as defined in the appended claims and as described in this specification, taken together with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a three-quarter perspective view of a typical embodiment of the present invention designed for manufacture as a unit and for subsequent application to a pre-existing golf z;

FIG. 2 is a vertical cross sectional view taken through one of the holder receptacles while the holder is mounted on a golf bag and showing a wood-type club in the process of being inserted into or removed from the receptacle;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but showing the club in its fully inserted position; and

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

The golf club holder and protector as here specifically disclosed is in a form designed to be made as an accessory unit to be attached to pre-existing golf bags, but it will be understood that this is by way of exemplification only, and that the construction in question could be incorporated into golf bags as an'integral part thereof in the course of the initial manufacture of the bags per se. The holder is here disclosed asbeing adapted to receive four clubs of the wood type, but it will be appreciated that that too is purely exemplary, and that devices could be made which would receive more or fewer clubs, and which could receive irons in addition to or instead of woods.

Broadly considered, the holder of the present invention comprises a support generally designated A, a plurality of members B extending up therefrom and preferably being adjustably vertically positionable relative thereto, and, for each member B, at least one open-bottomed receptacle generally designated C, each of those receptacles having a side opening generally designated D.

As here disclosed the support A comprises an elongated generally U-shaped clip structure comprising side walls 2 and 4 separated from one another at their lower ends and connected to one another at their upper ends by a resilient bridge part 6 As may be seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, the support A is designed to be clipped over the upper end 8 of the golf bag 10, the bag portion 8being clampingly received between the clip walls 2 and 4. Secured to the outer surface of the wall 4 of the support A are a plurality of member-mounting means 12 in the form of tubes having central through passages 14 sized so as to snugly receive therein the individual members B. Those members B are here shown in the form of rods 16 and may be formed ofsome suitable stiffly resilient material such as steel. The entire support A, including the tubes 12, may be molded or otherwise formed of some suitable synthetic plastic material having the desired degree of rigidity and resiliency, with the relationship between the outer diameter of the rod 16 and the inner diameter of the openings 14 being such that the rods 16 can be pushed through the tubes 12 to desired axial position upon the exertion of a relatively great amount of force, the rods 16 thereafter remaining in adjusted position. Alternatively or in addition, some auxiliary position-fixing means such as set screws or clamps can be employed if desired to ensure that the rods 16 will reliably remain in the axial positions that they are placed relative to the tubes 12.

The receptacles C are secured to the upper ends of the rods 16. As here disclosed those receptacles are shaped to receive the heads of conventional wood clubs. They comprise a rear wall 18 fixed to the upper portion of the corresponding rod 16, a top wall 20, and a pair of appropriately shaped side walls 22 and 24 having vertically extending edges 26 and 28 respectively which are unsecured to one another and which extend vertically from the open bottom 30 of the container B to a position close tothe top wall 20, thereby defining between themselves the side opening D.-In the form here specifically disclosed the entire receptacle D is molded from some suitable synthetic plastic material which, in the thicknesses provided for the side walls 22 and 24, is appreciably resiliently flexible. The configuration of the walls 22 and 24 is such as to provide at the upper portion of the receptacle C a section 32 which is essentially bulbous in character and is designed to receive the head 34 of a wood-type club, while the bottom portion of the receptacle D defines a relatively narrow receptacle section 36 communicating with the open receptacle bottom 30, into which a portion 38 of the shaft of the club is adapted to be received.

In use the holder and protector assembly is mounted on the golf bag as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, and the individual rods 16 are vertically adjusted so that the corresponding receptacles C are positioned at a height relative to the bottom of the golf bag corresponding to the heights of the club heads designed to be received therein when the respective clubs are in the golf bag in a shaft-down orientation. For example, if the holder is to contain the Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 4 woods, the individual receptacles C would on their top walls 18 be provided with appropriately'identifying numbers, the l receptacle D would be positioned at a height corresponding to that of the No. l wood when the latter is inserted shaft-down into the golf bag,

the 2" receptacle would be mounted at a height corresponding to that of the No. 2 wood when the latter is in the golf bag, and so on. To load the holder the No. 1 wood is inserted into the golf bag shaft-down, as is conventional, and the head 34 of that club is positioned to line up with the side opening D of the 1 -marked receptacle C, which is the only receptacle C at a proper height for the head 34 of that club. The club head is then pushed laterally against the receptacle C at the side opening D thereof, and because of the resiliency of the walls 22 and 24, the spacing between the edges 26 and 28 of those walls, and the more or less wedge-shape of the club head 34 itself,

the walls 22 and 24 will spread apart and the club head 34 will move into the receptacle D. After it has moved all the way into that receptacle, with the upper portion of its shaft 38 moving into the lower section 36 of the receptacle, the walls 22 and 24 will snap back to their original position as shown in FIG. I,

thus retaining the club head 34 within the receptacle C. Indeed, once the club head 34 has been moved into the receptacle slightly more than halfway the tendency of the walls 22 and 24 to return to their unspread position will serve to cam or urge the club head 34 into the receptacle C, thus facilitating the insertion operation. I

As may be seen from a comparison of FIGS. 2 and 3, the rods 16 may be flexible and the receptacle C may be so positioned that when a given club head 34 is fully received within the receptacle C the rod 16 will be bent slightly over the upper end of the golf bag. This will have the'desirableeffect of urging the club shaft 38 against the interior of the golf bag, thus minimizing any tendency of the club to rattle in the bag.

The same operation will be employed with each of the ap propriate clubs inorder to insert its head 34 into the corresponding receptacle C, it being understood that because of the vertical positioning of the individual receptacles only the No. 2 wood can fit into the 2"-marked receptacle C, only the No, 3 wood can enter into the 3"-marked receptacle C, and

so on.

When the golfer wants a particular club he need merely go to the appropriately marked receptacle C, grasp that club shaft portion which extends down therefrom, and pull the club out from the receptacle, the walls 22 and 24 resiliently spreading apart and then coming back together in a manner similar to, but inan opposite sense from, that previously described in connection with the insertion operation; In the same continuous motion the player, after he has removed the head 34 laterally from the receptacle D, can then lift the club out from the golf bag. Similarly, after the player has used the club, he can return it to the bag and into its appropriate receptacle C by a similar but opposite continuous movement.

In order to improve the appearance of the heads 34 of the clubs received and protected by the holder of the present invention, the interior of the receptacle C, or portions thereof, may be so designed and constructed as to carry a supply of wax (as hereinbefore defined). This can be done by providing a wax coating on the inner surface, by making the inner surface portions porous and impregnating them with wax, or by securing a wax-carrying member thereto. While the individual club heads 34 are within the receptacle C they will rub up against the inner surface of that receptacle and some of the wax carried by the receptacle will be transferred to the club heads, thus tending to protect them and improve their appearance. Since the club head surfaces come into firm engagement with the wall edges 26 and 28 each time that the club head 34 is inserted into a receptacle C or removed therefrom, those edges provide particularly effective locations for carrying wax to be applied to the club head surfaces.

With the holder of the present invention the golfer need no longer concern himself with individual or loosely mounted head club covers which can be lost, placed on the wrong club, and positioned on or removed from the club only with some difficulty or trouble. With the device of the present invention the individual clubs are reliably identified in a foolproof manner, they are held spaced from one another inthe golf bag, thereby improving the appearance of the golf bag and golfers concentration will not be distracted, the accuracy of 5 his play will be enhanced, the life of his clubs will be extended and the appearance of his golf bag will be improved. The device of the present invention might be made as a standard unit, the heights of the respective receptacles C being adjusted by each user to correspond to the particular set of clubs which he is then using. It .will add no significant-weight to the golf bag and it willenhance the appearance of the bag. It may safely be exposed to the elements, since there are no mechanical linkages or complex constructions to become corroded or clogged with dirt or sand.

While but a single embodiment of the present invention has been here specifically disclosed, it will be apparent that many variations may be made therein, all within the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.

I claim:

l. A golf club holder comprising a support adapted to be secured to a golf bag, a plurality of members on and spaced along the length of said support and extending up therefrom, and open-bottomed receptacles carried by said members and shaped to receive a golf club head, each of said receptacles having a side opening facing in the same general direction and adapted to open onto the interior of said golf bag, said side opening extending from said open bottom over a substantial portion of the height of said receptacle where the golf club head is adapted to be received and being defined between walls of said receptacle which normally assume a closed position but which are resiliently mounted so that they may be moved to an open position, whereby a golf club head may be inserted into said receptacle or removed therefrom via said opening with the golf club shaft passing through said open bottom of said receptacle when the club head is within said receptacle, said walls moving to open position to permit movement of said club head through said opening and then springing back to closed position.

2. The holder of claim 1, in which said receptacle comprises a molded body of resilient synthetic plastic material.

3. The holder of claim 2, in which said receptacle comprises a bulbous upper portion adapted to receive the head of said club and a narrower lower portion extending to said open bottom and adapted to receive at least a portion of the shaft of said club.

4. The holder of claim 1, in which said receptacle comprises a bulbous upper portion adapted to receive the head of said club and a narrower lower portion extending to said open bottom and adapted to receive at least a portion of the shaft of said club.

5. The holder of claim 4, in which said members are resilient.

6. The holder of claim 3, in which said members are resilient.

7. The holder of claim 2, in which said members are resilient.

8. The holder of claim I, in which said members are resilient.

9. In the holder of claim 8, means for mounting said members on said support for adjustable vertical positioning.

10. In the holder of claim 6, means for mounting said members on said support for adjustable vertical positioning.

11. In the holder of claim 5, means for mounting said members on said support for adjustable vertical positioning.

12. In the holder of claim 3, means for mounting said members on said support for adjustable vertical positioning.

13. In the holder of claim 1, means for mounting said members on said support for adjustable vertical positioning.

14. The holder of claim 10, in which said support comprises means for mounting said support on the upper rim of a golf 5. The holder of claim 2, in which said support comprises means for mounting said support on the upper rim of a golf bag.

16. The holder of claim 4, in which said support comprises means for mounting said support on the upper rim of a golf bag.

17. The holder of claim 8, in which said support comprises means for mounting said support on the upper rim of a golf bag.

18. The holder of claim 13, in which said support comprises means for mounting said support on the upper rim of a golf bag.

19. The holder of claim 1, in which at least a portion of the inner surface of said receptacle is wax-carrying.

20. The holder of claim 2, in which at least'a portion of the inner surface of said receptacle is wax-carrying. 

1. A golf club holder comprising a support adapted to be secured to a golf bag, a plurality of members on and spaced along the length of said support and extending up thErefrom, and openbottomed receptacles carried by said members and shaped to receive a golf club head, each of said receptacles having a side opening facing in the same general direction and adapted to open onto the interior of said golf bag, said side opening extending from said open bottom over a substantial portion of the height of said receptacle where the golf club head is adapted to be received and being defined between walls of said receptacle which normally assume a closed position but which are resiliently mounted so that they may be moved to an open position, whereby a golf club head may be inserted into said receptacle or removed therefrom via said opening with the golf club shaft passing through said open bottom of said receptacle when the club head is within said receptacle, said walls moving to open position to permit movement of said club head through said opening and then springing back to closed position.
 2. The holder of claim 1, in which said receptacle comprises a molded body of resilient synthetic plastic material.
 3. The holder of claim 2, in which said receptacle comprises a bulbous upper portion adapted to receive the head of said club and a narrower lower portion extending to said open bottom and adapted to receive at least a portion of the shaft of said club.
 4. The holder of claim 1, in which said receptacle comprises a bulbous upper portion adapted to receive the head of said club and a narrower lower portion extending to said open bottom and adapted to receive at least a portion of the shaft of said club.
 5. The holder of claim 4, in which said members are resilient.
 6. The holder of claim 3, in which said members are resilient.
 7. The holder of claim 2, in which said members are resilient.
 8. The holder of claim 1, in which said members are resilient.
 9. In the holder of claim 8, means for mounting said members on said support for adjustable vertical positioning.
 10. In the holder of claim 6, means for mounting said members on said support for adjustable vertical positioning.
 11. In the holder of claim 5, means for mounting said members on said support for adjustable vertical positioning.
 12. In the holder of claim 3, means for mounting said members on said support for adjustable vertical positioning.
 13. In the holder of claim 1, means for mounting said members on said support for adjustable vertical positioning.
 14. The holder of claim 10, in which said support comprises means for mounting said support on the upper rim of a golf bag.
 15. The holder of claim 2, in which said support comprises means for mounting said support on the upper rim of a golf bag.
 16. The holder of claim 4, in which said support comprises means for mounting said support on the upper rim of a golf bag.
 17. The holder of claim 8, in which said support comprises means for mounting said support on the upper rim of a golf bag.
 18. The holder of claim 13, in which said support comprises means for mounting said support on the upper rim of a golf bag.
 19. The holder of claim 1, in which at least a portion of the inner surface of said receptacle is wax-carrying.
 20. The holder of claim 2, in which at least a portion of the inner surface of said receptacle is wax-carrying. 